OPTIS, the leading software vendor for the scientific simulation of light, human vision and physically correct visualization and Luxexcel, the world’s only 3D printing service for optical products, today announced a partnership to provide automotive manufacturers a fast and easy way to go from design to 3D-printed prototype.
OPTIS, Luxexcel: two companies, and two different ways of creating optical components, such as lenses: virtually, within a CAD software for OPTIS, and as real 3D printed components for Luxexcel. To offer a complete service covering both the virtual- and real- prototyping, OPTIS and Luxexcel connected their technologies. OPTIS’ innovative software solutions enable automotive designers and manufacturers to first create the lighting and optical designs of their future products digitally. These virtual prototypes allow them to test and verify designs directly within their CAD platform. Following the digital model, optical designers often want to create a real optical prototype. “When you design a part, you want to see it. But not only. You also want to touch it. The real prototype offers this possibility.” says Jacques Delacour, OPTIS founder and CEO. But the creation of real prototypes is often long and requires high investments, through diamond milling and turning or injection molding for example. Turning and milling require complex and costly machinery and are not suitable for elaborate and freeform optical shapes; injection molding implies the creation of a mold, which is expensive and takes a long time, from a few weeks to several months. As such, these techniques are long, complex, expensive and not the most appropriate ones for the production of optical components.
OPTIS wants to bring the latest technologies to the major actors of the automotive market, the company will now offer access to a unique 3D printing service for optical designers thanks to Luxexcel’s Printoptical Technology. OPTIS’ customers can digitally design virtual optics thanks to OPTIS’ solutions and get their customized and fully optimized real optics within a few days. Peter Paul Cornelissen, Head of Marketing and Online Business Development from Luxexcel explained: “With the integration of the Luxexcel material in the OPTIS Library you can design with our material properties included. This will significantly speed up your design- and prototyping-process.
Our online service has three easy steps: design, upload and receive your product. After the customer designed his lens or light guide, he uploads and orders it online on the customer portal. We check the design, print it and finally ship it to the customer within 5 working days. With this digital process we change a 3000 years old analogue industry and make it future proof.”